Minor surgery for the repair of retinal detachment emanating from retinoschisis.
OBJECTIVE
To propose a mechanism for the development of the outer layer retinal tears that occur with retinoschisis and the detachment emanating from it that is consistent with the limited extent of the detachment and the response to binocular occlusion and local buckles.


METHODS
A consecutive series of 24 patients with retinoschisis, collected over 15 years, was analysed. Seven patients developed a symptomatic retinal detachment emanating from breaks in the outer layers of retinoschisis. The detachments responded to binocular occlusion, a sponge buckle, or a temporary balloon buckle and laser coagulation to the edges of the breaks.


RESULTS
Two retinas attached completely after 48 hr of binocular occlusion, four responded to local sponge buckles and one to a temporary balloon buckle. All attached without drainage of subretinal fluid. Final visual acuity was 20/20 in six eyes and 20/25 in one eye.


CONCLUSIONS
The detachment emanating from retinoschisis responds to ocular rest or a local buckle to breaks in the outer layers. It is proposed that the mechanism for the detachment that emanates from retinoschisis is intraretinal traction by residual transretinal fibres at the edge of the schisis cavity.
Lincoff
Harvey
H
New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA. mcaulfie@mail.med.cornell.edu
Kreissig
Ingrid
I
Uram
Dominik
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017075:Laser Coagulation; D008297:Male; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012167:Retinal Perforations / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D041441:Retinoschisis / Q000150:complications*; D012591:Scleral Buckling / Q000379:methods; D012683:Sensory Deprivation; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity